2025 NBA Draft: Nolan Traoré Preseason Scouting Report
The French prospect is an early contender for best point guard of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Birthday: May 28, 2006
Team: Saint-Quentin (French first division)
Previously at INSEP
Measurements:1
Height: 6-foot-5 in shoes
Weight: 184 pounds
Wingspan: 6-foot-8
Standing reach: 8-foot-5.5
Physical comp: James Bouknight, Delon Wright, Kobe Bufkin (per youngwizzyDFS’s NBA Draft Tool)
Offense:
Explosive first step really pops. Until now, turns the corner on defenders going right (preferred) and left.
But has room for improvement as a finisher. In 37 games on Synergy, 58% at the rim.
There’s usually a step-up in athleticism from Europe to the NBA, but Traoré looks legitimately quick off the dribble.
High volume ballhandler for INSEP and Saint-Quentin. Nine games off the bench for Saint-Quentin last season in a sparkplug but pretty vital role.
Not unathletic going up, but still more of a below-the-rim guard who pairs his body control to finish with scoops and extensions.
When attacking bigs in space, gets low with handle & body and removes them from play. Avoids contests and blocks this way.
Encouragingly plays with contact, although not always through contact yet. Skinny so he doesn't move defenders out of the way currently, but there’s a willingness to bump & finish or draw the foul.
Pull-up threat from the midrange. Uses screens well, showing some signs of advanced craft (shot fakes, body feints, snaking screens) already.
Projects well against bigs in drop coverage. Plays with nice pace.
Patient for an 18 y/o. Doesn’t tend to force things. Resets the play if he can’t initially get to his spot or find an opening.
Creates space before rising into his jumper. Likes to fall away on his shot. Likely better using a screen before pulling up right now — but in the long term, should be able to take defenders on 1v1, chain together moves off the dribble, and pull up.
Doesn’t look quite as comfortable pulling up from three.2
9 games for Saint-Quentin last season: 30 3P% (1.3 threes made, 3.3 attempted)
27 games for INSEP last season: 29.8 3P% (about 6 threes attempted — 48/161 total)
Needs to display more range. Misses short (front of rim) relatively often. Defenses fear him as a driving threat, but not really from the perimeter just yet.
Needs to punish bigs who switch on him more often. Already great signs attacking bigs in drop from the midrange, but doesn’t make defenses pay the same way pulling up from deep.
Flashes creating separation out of a stepback, usually to his left, but the conversion on this shot isn’t there.
Some encouraging signs, although it’s interesting how he’s more assertive in end-of-clock type of situations as opposed to when he’s given ample time to self-create.
Doesn’t spot-up/catch-and-shoot that much. On-ball guard at this stage. Nothing wrong with this per se, but necessary context for how he fits around different teammates and team needs.
As a passer: similar to how he is patient using screens to score, the same applies for how he facilitates. Not that he’s boring as a playmaker, but plays with more functionality than creativity.
Generates threes. Gets paint touches and sprays the ball out. Collapses defenses and forces them to enter rotation. Passes while on the move, sometimes with one hand out of a live dribble and usually with reliable accuracy for his age.
Tracks the low man or spots corner shooters lifting.
Can pass over the top or bounce it in the pocket. Uses his positional size. Also under control when he jump passes. Accurate entry passer (especially with lobbed passes), which isn’t an easy skill to find in guards nowadays.
Typical, but will look better in NBA spacing. Often played with 1 or 2 non-shooters during his biggest sample size so far at INSEP.3
Sometimes misreads if a passing window exists or anticipates what he’s going to do. Can still have some avoidable turnovers, but he’s very young and playing on the ball so much.
Averaged a little under 6 assists to about 3 turnovers per game for all of last season.
Defense:
Holds up well on the ball when he’s engaged.
Can keep his man in front and use his 6-foot-8 wingspan to contest shots (more so pull-ups than drives).
Motor and effort is generally fine, but he also “rests” off the ball since he carries such a big load offensively.
Defense overall might not be that noteworthy for now, though. His teams have needed him as an offensive engine, so he’s not asked to do that much defensively.
4 steals and 0 blocks in 189 minutes for Saint-Quentin last season.
Has shown more at youth levels in the past. Picked up and disrupted ballhandlers full court here and there.
Could even bother some big and skilled guards like Egor Demin or Kasparas Jakucionis.4 Size stacks up solidly against NBA 1s and 2s.
Can probably go up another notch defensively in the future if he carries a lesser offensive load.
Can hopefully become more impactful when utilizing his physical tools (6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan).
Adding strength would be helpful. Can become a nonfactor when attackers get into his body, or give up dribble penetration a little too easily.
Off the ball, okay for now at tracking plays and doesn’t tend to make any glaring errors. Definitely not a playmaker or disruptor other than when he reads passing lanes or errant passes, though.
Can die on screens, going back to his strength.
Doesn’t offer rim protection as a guard. Not a must, but would be nice to see him alter more plays as a low man if he’s going to rest in the corners.
Questions:
Is he a lead guard or a sixth man type? Entering the 2025 draft cycle, the expectation is for the former. But he showed his sparkplug capabilities last season. Floor is relatively safe, while maintaining a high ceiling.
Will his first step be as dangerous in the NBA?
Even if this is somewhat neutralized, I expect Traoré to play much more in transition in the NBA than he can in France/Europe.
Offensively and defensively: how comfortable is he playing off the ball? Largely an on-ball guard right now.
Offensively, flashes being able to spot-up or catch-and-shoot — and from there, attack a closeout — but seemingly not what he prefers.
Could be a matter of role/team necessities, as well.
Defensively, can die on screens, be rash closing out, and hasn’t created events as a pro.
How much strength can he add? Positional size is quite good, though I’m honestly skeptical about the 6-foot-5 measurement.5 Athleticism is decent, particularly with regards to speed. But too skinny for now.
Lower body (quads, calves) and shoulders will need more mass and definition.
Per Basketball Without Borders Global Camp
Think Cameron Houindo or Nathan Soliman on the floor at once, for example
Referring to ANGT action vs. Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively